“New year, new me” seems to apply to the youngest panda cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo as well, as he’s already showing off new climbing abilities. Xiao Qi Ji was observed scaling some of the small rockwork at the zoo’s indoor habitat in Northwest D.C. while mom Mei Xiang watched over him dutifully.
🐼 Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji continues to explore & take on new challenges—like climbing up rockwork in the indoor habitat he shares with mom Mei Xiang. He’s getting stronger, more coordinated & 💯 still an adorable little nugget. 😍 #PandaStory pic.twitter.com/AXcb253ABX
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) January 1, 2021
It’s been nothing but positive signs for “little miracle,” which is Xiao Qi Ji translated into Mandarin Chinese. He was starting to walk at the beginning of December, and that was just a few weeks after he had first learned to stand for brief periods of time. Xiao Qi Ji is still just over three months old, having been born on Aug. 21, so there will be more milestones to come as he continues to be — shall we say — miraculous.